I'm behind on grading, which we all know is normal. But being behind is just another excuse not to dissertate. Help! For those of you who have written a diss, how did you find time to write, and how long did it take you to do so? I want to write; I have good ideas. But I teach 4-4. I'm actively involved in my department (but limiting service work & my dept. is supporting me on this). I am trying to get my ass out of bed and to exercise in the morning. I'm also trying to eat healthier. That last one isn't time consuming, but it is another thing to keep in my brain all day (how much fat? how much fiber?). I am so much better organized than most of my teaching colleagues. I get more done than most of my grads school peers (I publish and conference more). And I am smarter than the average bear. I can work academic miracles, damnit! What is my problem?
This sounds like a riddle to me. Or a GRE problem. I'm just frustrated. Adjusting to a 5-day teaching schedule is taking longer than I expected, and the migraine blast plus recovery time was not on my schedule. I've also been allowing myself to read for fun, which takes up some time. I'll get there, it's just going slower than I expected, and slower than I want. But that's just the way it is. Stupid reality. I want it to happen automagically!*
*I heard that term today for the first time from Husband. Apparently I don't read enough Linux crap. Husband's response to my lack of knowledge: "Why would you?"
6 comments:
Why are you teaching a 4-4? Grad student loads should be running 2-2 (or less, ideally).
You're not gonna make progress with that load; you may have to stop teaching to get diss stuff done, at least for a while. Meanwhile, drop all the conferencing and publishing stuff and *only* work on the dissertation --- that is where your heavy-thinking-time is going right now. You can switch back after.
I would suggest pushing through a few chapters and then quitting work for a semester or so for the final diss push to make sure it gets finished and filed. But for right now, switching out dissertating for conf/publishing work should suffice.
What Sisyphus says.
Also, screw the teaching. Seriously. Nothing counts as much as the dissertation at this point. I am very sorry for your students, but it is not your fault. Cancel classes frequently (you can call them "work days," as in "I am giving you a work day this Friday to get your paper research done," or WTF ever) and slack as much as you can on grading and other crap. I'm not sure what you're teaching, but eliminate assignments --two papers instead of three, two exams instead of four, whatever you can cut, cut. If you have a supervisor, just don't mention it to the supervisor. (Unless he or she reads this blog. In which case, um, just kidding!)
When I was writing my diss, I wrote X number of words a day during the drafting stage -- it was 1000 words for me, but whatever is appropriate for your field. I wrote the first draft in 3 months. The revision, which I did chapter by chapter with my director, took (as I recall)(and I still get flashbacks) about nine months.
It's important not to make the dissertation a bigger deal than it is, though, is the point I'm making here. No one will ever care as much about this dissertation as you do. A good dissertation is a finished dissertation. Just get it done.
Sis, I had a job teaching 4-4 at a nearby uni before I got into the doctoral program, and then they didn't give me funding. So I had to keep my job to live.
I'm not doing any pubs or conferences, and as I said, my service to the dept is minimal--basically just enough to keep my job.
Sigh. I was afraid my wiser readers were going to say something like this. My dept. chair would support me getting a reduced load, but the uni has a policy of not granting course releases for diss work, so I'd have to take a cut in pay. Which I can't do right now. Maybe next fall.
But I will slack on teaching. I can do that.
Oh, and being told these things helps. Knowing is half the battle, and all that. Thanks.
Inside the Philosophy Factory just finished her diss this past summer, while teaching and chairing at a CC. You might think about reading how she did it, or emailing her.
Thanks, Bardiac. I will.
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